Tuesday, May 31, 2016

A Daughter's Dream

In Shelley Shepard Gray's second book in her Charmed Amish Life series, a young teacher and farmer discover they have much in common, especially when it comes to healing old wounds from the past . . . and finding love in one another.

Rebecca Kinsinger has always dreamed of being a teacher. But when she's given the opportunity she's been waiting for at Charm Amish School, she's dismayed to discover that teaching is hard work

---work she's afraid she's not very good at.

That is, until Lilly Yoder joins the class. A thirteen-year old who's just lost her parents, Lilly is in need of someone like Rebecca. For the first time since starting her new job, Rebecca feels a sense of purpose. But when she meets Lilly's uncle, Jacob, his good looks and sweet, easy-going temperament are hard to ignore. How can she even entertain romantic thoughts of Jacob when his niece is her student?

Suddenly becoming Lily's sole caregiver, Jacob Yoder never thought he'd be a single parent---or a farmer. Having been living in Florida as a carpenter, Jacob feels more at home wielding a hammer than a backhoe. The only bright spot in his life is Rebecca Kinsinger. As Lily and Rebecca develop a bond, Jacob's fondness for the pretty teacher grows, too.

But when a fateful accident brings them together, Rebecca and Jacob must choose between duty and desire. Will they follow the path before them? Or set out to find true happiness . . . and true love?

My thoughts: A DAUGHTER'S DREAM is the 2nd book in Ms. Gray's The Charmed Amish Life series, but it easily stands alone. Fans will want to read A Son's Vow to get the story about Luke and Darla. I am anxious to read the next book (coming in the fall of 2016) A Sister's Wish to read about Amelia and Simon.

Jacob is new to charm, giving up all he loves and holds dear to help his parents raise his brother's daughter after a terrible accident claims lives. Lily is a gifted child, struggling in a new community, and clearly further ahead than most of her classmates. Rebecca was tired of working at the mill, she had to be a teacher, so she volunteered as a helper then decided she hated it and wanted her old job back.

All the characters had the same voice, and Lily seemed a lot older and worldly than only thirteen. I did get a bit put out at Rebecca, threatening to fire the woman her brother hired to replace her. She didn't have the right - and she was the one who told her brother she wanted to quit and then changed her mind a short time later.

There is some drama in the book. A naughty goat, a jealous man, an over-protective husband, two accidents at the mill, and more that will keep the pages turning, and I loved Rebecca's turtles at the pond. So sweet!!! 4 stars.

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town's bike trail.